Book Review for The Hope Keeper by Heather Webb

 

The Hope Keeper by Heather Webb

Published:  May 19, 2026 by Sourcebooks Landmark

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Taken from Goodreads:  1919, Washington D.C. Elisabeth Beaumont comes from a renowned jeweler family, but after the untimely death of her twin brother, she's left on her own to run the failing family business. Desperate for work, she approaches the affluent crowd her brother Julien once courted to expand Beaumont Jewelers. Their ringleader is wealthy socialite Evalyn McLean, owner of the world's most infamous gemstone, rumored to curse all who travel within its orbit. 

The Hope Diamond.

As Elisabeth is swept into Evalyn's toxic world of dark opulence, the lines defining who she is and where she belongs begin to blur, leading Elisabeth to question all she once believed. She's no longer certain she wants to take over the family business and be beholden to the wealthy elite of D.C. But she can't fathom leaving her father in the lurch. There's also Evalyn to consider, and the Hope Diamond, which beckons Elisabeth to admire it, touch it, care for it, despite every warning she's been told.

When tragedy strikes one night, not only is Elisabeth's fragile friendship with Evalyn put to the test, but her carefully constructed glamorous new life comes crashing down. Now Elisabeth must face the truth about her brother's death and decide what matters most. 

My Thoughts: Heather Webb is a must-read author.  Her historical fiction books are so realistic, and the characters are relatable and true to the era. The Hope Keeper is a great story set around the Hope Diamond.  I enjoyed that the diamond told it’s own story during parts of the story while most of the story is told by those around the diamond. 

The story had its slow moments, parts that I felt the book dragged and I was not sure if I would finish the book.   I am so very glad that I stuck with it, I enjoyed seeing Elisabeth interact with Evalyn and her friends while trying to put together what happened to her brother Julian. 

The Hope Keeper is a fun look at the Hope Diamond and the life of the elite in Washington D.C. 

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Meetthe Author (taken from her website);  Heather Webb is the USA Today and international bestselling author of eleven historical novels, including her upcoming The Hope Keeper and her other recently published  Queens of London, The Next Ship Home, and Christmas with the Queen. In 2015, Rodin’s Lover was a Goodread’s Top Pick, and in 2018, Last Christmas in Paris won the Women’s Fiction Writers Association STAR Award. Meet Me in Monaco, was selected as a finalist for the 2020 Goldsboro RNA award in the UK, as well as the 2019 Digital Book World’s Fiction prize. Three Words for Goodbye was a Prima Magazine’s 2022 Book of the Year. To date, Heather’s books have been translated to twenty languages. She lives in New England with her family and two mischievous cats.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE HOPE KEEPER:

“Centered around the cursed Hope diamond, Webb’s latest sparkles with intrigue … Richly imagined and hauntingly beautiful, the story will linger long after you’ve turned the last page.”

— Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen

 

“Heather Webb plunges readers into the high-stakes world of precious jewels and the rarefied company of those who collect and trade in such treasure. [It’s] a story of family secrets, second chances, and the fabled curse of the incomparable Hope Diamond. Webb’s writing sparkles as her plucky, intrepid heroine cuts through the tangled and toxic world of the rich and the reckless in order to redeem her past and save her family’s future.”

—  Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of It Girl

 

“THE HOPE KEEPER is instantly transportive, swiftly tangling readers in the Gatsby-esque world of 1919 Washington, DC and the mystery, lore, and magnetism surrounding one of history’s most celebrated— and feared—gemstones, the Hope Diamond. I read this book in one sitting and know without a doubt that THE HOPE KEEPER will be the must-read book of summer.” — Joy Callaway, international bestselling author of The Star of Camp Greene

 

"Glittering with history, mystery, glamour, and legend, The Hope Keeper follows a young jeweler drawn to the allure of the Hope Diamond and its rumored curse. Rich in historical detail and heart, this gripping story of family, courage, and secrets is an absolute must read." — Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book Society

 

Release Blitz for Something About Her by J. Nathan

 

Something About Her by J. Nathan is now live!

Thayer Caruthers was on top of the world--until he lost everything.

After his mother's death shatters him, the one girl he shouldn't want becomes the one he can't forget. His best friend's sister. The almost-kiss that ruined everything. The line he should've never crossed.

Now he's stepped away from competing, forced to watch his best friend rise to snowboarding superstardom while he drowns in grief and what-ifs.

Giselle McCloud has always played by the rules. Loyal sister. Responsible business owner. Safe girlfriend to her business partner. But the night Thayer almost kissed her? It cracked something open she can't seal shut.

And when her world comes crashing down, it's not her brother or her boyfriend who she needs.

It's Thayer.

The one man she can't have.

The one person who understands her.

The one mistake that might be worth making.

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Meet J. Nathan

J. Nathan is the author of new adult, sports, and rock star romances with cocky heroes and sassy heroines. When she's not writing, she's a crazy baseball mom and a total romance junkie! She loves country music, guys in backward hats, iced coffee, and the summertime.

 

Connect with J.

Website | http://www.jnathan.net/   

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Book Review for The Rulebreaker by Piper Rayne

 

The Rulebreaker by Piper Rayne is now live! I’m the coach’s daughter. Falling for one of my father's players was never the plan. Especially not Decker Davis. Chicago Colts third baseman. Dependable. Steady. The guy everyone trusts. And the man who’s spent years keeping his distance—especially from me. We have history. The kind that ten years and a thousand miles can’t touch. So, this time, I promised myself I'd be smarter. No getting attached. No blurred lines. And definitely, no falling. He broke every last one within the first week. Because Decker doesn’t just show up for me. He shows up for my daughter. Because he fits into our lives like he was always meant to be there. Because he looks at me like I was never something he wanted to lose. And suddenly, the walls I've spent years building don't feel nearly as solid as they used to. But if I let him in, I’m not just risking my heart—I’m risking hers too… and I already know what losing him costs. I won’t let my daughter pay that price. My Thoughts:  I am hooked on the Chicago Colts.    Baseball, sexy players, wonderful women, cute kids…what else can I ask for?   Decker Davis is who I am asking for.   This is his story and I could not wait to read it.    Penelope is the coach’s daughter with her own seven-year-old daughter to raise.   She also has a history with the Colts third baseman.  The story of Penelope and Decker is messy but full of feelings, heat, and history to unravel.  I could not get enough of these two.  Their story is the perfect addition to The Dugout series.    In true Piper Rayne writing style, the HEA was bound to happen but getting there would be full of heartache, rekindling romance, sexy times, and amazing friendships.   I highly recommend this series.  The books can be read in any order as each is a standalone.    Thank you Valentine PR for a copy of the book via BookFunnel in exchange for my honest review.   Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited https://books2read.com/t-rb Duet Narration by: Teddy Hamilton & Willa Jaymes Also featuring: JF Harding, Sean Masters, Connor Crais, CJ Bloom, Erin Mallon, Meg Sylvan & Austin Stone Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3KxNsjw

Spotlight for A Very Vexing Murder by Lucy Andrew

 

Harriet Smith Investigates #1

A Very Vexing Murder: Harriet Smith Investigates – A Witty Debut Jane Austen Mystery of Murder and Deception in Highbury by Lucy Andrew

Published:  May 12, 2026 by William Morrow

Genre:  Historical Mystery, Retelling

Taken from Goodreads:  Is a killer lurking in the idyllic country domain of Emma Woodhouse?

No longer Emma’s naïve companion, Harriet Smith is a feisty con-woman-turned-detective tasked with breaking off Frank Churchill’s engagement and uncovering his aunt’s would-be murderer. The shrewd Mrs. Churchill suspects Frank’s unsuitable fiancée, Jane Fairfax, is out to kill her, while Harriet suspects little more than a society scandal. But what begins as a routine investigation among Highbury’s elite quickly spirals into a web of deception, deadly secrets, and a game of survival.

As Harriet interrogates a growing list of suspects with the help of her long-suffering best friend, Robert Martin, not only does she have to contend with a potential homicidal maniac and striking out as a single woman in Regency society but is also afraid her father (and former partner-in-crime) is out for revenge.

With a cast of unforgettable characters—including a charming scoundrel, a lovesick farmer, a ghoulish butler, and a ruthless heiress determined to hide her skeletons at any cost— this brilliantly reimagined mystery featuring the characters from Jane Austen’s Emma is as deliciously dark as it is delightfully clever.

 

Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads

Purchase your own copy on Amazon

 

A witty debut whodunit that reimagines Harriet Smith, the gullible sidekick of Jane Austen’s Emma , as a spitfire con woman, hired to break off an engagement and uncover a murderer in the genteel village of Highbury.

“Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure.” —Jane Austen, Emma

Available Now!! Dangerously Ours by Krista & Becca Ritchie

 

Dangerously Ours by Krista & Becca Ritchie is now live! In the thrilling conclusion to the Webs We Weave series, ex-con artist Phoebe Graves must pull off the biggest grift she’s ever devised to keep her friends and family safe. Conning the rich and fleeing to new cities is all ex-grifter Phoebe Graves has ever known—until she started building real relationships in a small yet wealthy Connecticut town. But she’s worried these new bonds won’t hold fast as more than one big bad wolf threatens to blow down those she loves most. And now more than ever, she has a reason to stay in one place. Among them is Brayden “Rocky” Tinrock, her best friend’s older brother, who’s been a partner to Phoebe during every daring and exhilarating con. And then of course there’s Hailey Tinrock, her best friend, whose precious secret they’ll do anything to protect. . . . As Phoebe and her family team up with the Tinrocks to fight for a chance at a home, they confront the demons of their pasts and must do the impossible . . . deceive the most cunning con artist they’ve ever known. Download today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JhoHap Apple Books: https://bit.ly/4loQAuE Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/4mMYxep Google Play: https://bit.ly/4tPcyvY Kobo: https://bit.ly/3HpfPPG Paperback: https://geni.us/DangerouslyOursEds Audible: https://adbl.co/4urgLWD Narrated by: Grayson Owens, Stephen Dexter, Megan Wicks, Aaron Shedlock, Carly Robins Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3HspAMS

Available Now!! Gray Area by Kay Cove

 

Gray Area by Kay Cove is now live! Her ex said she was past her prime. Her younger man begs to differ. *** Two decades designing couture for the elite, and building a billion-dollar fashion brand, should feel like success. Instead, I have an empty mansion, a fresh divorce settlement, and the sinking feeling that I traded everything meaningful for a life that looks better on social media than it does in the mirror. When my practically estranged best friend passes away, she leaves me with the one thing my ex-husband never gave me a chance to have—a baby. Well, a soon-to-be baby, currently residing in a surrogate’s belly. Surprise! Guilt-ridden, and scared to face this alone, cue my desperate funeral plus-one hire: Saylor, an escort with bedroom eyes and a smile that makes me forget I’m supposedly “past my expiration date.” He’s over a decade younger and shouldn’t give me a second glance after the check clears. Only he does. And while I’m spiraling over surprise motherhood and the thoughts of launching a new fashion empire, away from the clutches of my ex, this way-too-young-for-me man has the audacity to look at me like I’m the only woman in the world. “Too old” is what society whispers about women my age starting over. Too old for babies. Too old for new beginnings. Definitely too old for Saylor’s salacious advances that make me feel like a teenager in lust. But what if the happily ever after isn’t lost, just fashionably late? And what if the unattainable escort couldn’t care less about earning his money, because he’s making a play for my heart? Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited https://geni.us/grayarea Purchase the paperback today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/4d2aMQH Barnes and Noble: https://bit.ly/4cPnALz Walmart: https://bit.ly/4w7wLhZ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3W7D2JJ

BOOK REVIEW FOR A Harlem Wedding by Tiffany L. Warren

 

A Harlem Wedding  by Tiffany L. Warren

Published:  May 12, 2026 by William Morrow Paperbacks

Genre:  Historical Fiction, African American

Taken from Goodreads:  From The Unexpected Diva author Tiffany Warren—a dishy and dramatic novel of the Harlem Renaissance and its most famous Black debutante, Yolande Du Bois, daughter of W.E.B. Du Bois, whose spectacular wedding to poet Countee Cullen was the society event of the year...even though the bride and groom were not-so-secretly in love with other people.

A century ago, Harlem’s glittering social scene had a single Yolande Du Bois, the only child of N.A.A.C.P. icon W.E.B. Du Bois. Yolande was bold, vivacious, and beloved of every gossip columnist. A true daddy’s girl, Yolande followed her father’s advice on from where she went to college (Fisk—Papa’s alma mater) to which sorority she joined (Delta Sigma Theta). But in matters of the heart, Yolande and her father did not agree. Dr. Du Bois himself curated a string of handsome suitors from the “Talented Tenth” for her, but Yolande’s true love was jazz musician Jimmie Lunceford, son of a working-class family from far-off Denver, Colorado. Their romance was an open secret, and more than a little scandalous.

Despite it all, Yolande wound up marrying her father’s famed poet Countee Cullen. Their lavish uptown wedding was the hottest social ticket of 1928. With three thousand attendees, sixteen bridesmaids, and Langston Hughes as a groomsman, it was truly a sight to behold.

But, immediately after the wedding, Yolande’s carefully constructed fairy tale begins to crumble. Torn between the expectations of her father and society and her heart’s true desire, Yolande is forced to decide whether she must leave Harlem to create a more authentic life on her own terms.

A Harlem Wedding is a heady read about love, notoriety, Black excellence, deception, and the très chic lifestyles of the Black elite, from speakeasies of Harlem and the green fields of Fisk University, all the way to Le Grand Duc in Paris.

 

My Thoughts:  I really enjoy reading American history books.  I love that I got to learn about Harlem.   The people, the music, and the communities that live in or around Harlem have so many stories to tell and some of them were told in A Harlem Wedding. 

The entire book seemed so true to the time and the location.   Women were raised to be wives and moms, men worked to support their families, father’s found husbands for their daughters.   That is the story of Yolande’s life.  She is unique in that she went away to college, she took a stand against her father when she could.   She followed her father’s rules but she also knew when to push for her freedom to make her own choices.

I was pulled right into this book becoming quickly invested in the characters and their stories to tell.   The sights and sounds of Harlem came alive as I read.  I enjoyed every page, every word of this book.   Tiffany L. Warren, the author, has been added to my must-read author list.

Thank you William Morrow Books for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

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